55 the World Health Organization’s child growth median due to malnutrition, from 24.5% in 1990 to 11.6% in 2014 (World Bank, 2019). The improvement came from a collective action of Latin America and Caribbean countries treating food insecurity as a top priority through the approval of a region-wide plan for Food Security, Nutrition and Hunger Eradication. Despite this broad determination, Argentina has fallen behind its neighboring countries in alleviating food insecurity. As of 2020, 11% of families in Argentina live with food insecurity, 16% of whom are families with children; 70,000 children under the age of 12 suffer from chronic undernutrition and subsequent growth stunting. Malnutrition is concentrated in Northern Argentina, along with the outskirts of Buenos Aires. Specifically, in the province of Tucumán, 2.5%of children die of malnutrition (9 times the national average), along with 20,000 children categorized as living in an “extremely precarious” existence (Chorna & Fernandez, 2002). The impact of stunted growth as a child on these individuals’ adulthood correlates with a 4% decrease in wages for men per centimeter lost and a 6% decrease in wages for women per centimeter. Families facing food insecurity also are subject to an average of $1863 per year more in health care costs over those who are not food insecure. On a national scale, this translates to $7.75B in excess health care costs. This subsequent spending and lost future income create a cycle of spending that could have gone toward education or the ability for these children to strive in the Argentina workforce as adults (McGovern et al., 2017). In a study on the long-run impact of human capital development in Europe, Diebolt and Hippe (2019) found that past regional human capital is the most important factor in explaining current disparities in economic development. To measure human capital, they used historical literacy rates, along with controls for social variables, such as the size of agricultural employment, infant mortality, and population density. For current development level, they used gross domestic product per capita along with patent applications. An individual’s human capital attainment is largely dependent on their childhood, which can be adversely shaped by food insecurity. Childhood stunting is attributed to significant developmental delays that can negatively impact an individual’s ability to learn, cognitive development, and interactions with their environment (Oot et al., 2016). Although Argentina clearly has a severe food security issue, the issue does not go unnoticed on a global scale. Initiatives and Progress Toward Zero Hunger In response to the global nature of the issue, the United Nations has focused a number of efforts on ensuring food security. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO, 2020) has outlined four pillars of food security. The foundation concept concerns availability and accessibility, stating that there should be an appropriate quantity and quality of food through domestic production or imports accessible to the entire population. Once food is produced or imported, citizens should not have any barriers to purchasing it. When availability and access are achieved, it should follow that citizens are able to have access to clean water and sanitation in order to live a healthy lifestyle. The final and overarching concept is that of stability, the notion of citizens having enough personal liquidity to continue buying food even in the face of adversity. The FAO stresses a further qualification that it also is not enough just to provide “empty calories,” food that makes a person feel full but has no nutritional benefits, to achieve a sustainable diet. The FAO has outlined possible courses of action for countries facing food insecurity. They include the concept of safety nets, wherein income transfers are made to poor households in order to offset the cost of food. The two options for these transfers include liquidity through cash and direct food aid. Direct food aid often consists of free school meals or the implementation of soup kitchens in needy areas (FAO, 2020). Although Argentina has implemented policies addressing food insecurity (discussed later), they have been poorly managed and governed, resulting in increased food prices in some areas and decreased production overall. In 2015, as part of its sustainable development efforts to address global social
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